Dr. Caroline Esche Ashford is the foremost authority on German-US estate, inheritance and tax matters. She is one of the few fully dual-qualified attorneys, licensed to practice law in the United States (Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia) and in Germany.

Dr. Ashford handles complex, often contentious estate planning and estate settlement matters, many of these involving family enterprises. She deals almost exclusively with taxable estates (USD 13 million and above). Her clients praise her great expertise, diplomacy and strategic skills.

Dr. Ashford advises international clients on all aspects of estate, income and gift tax issues, business succession, trust and estate administration, as well as contested trust and estate matters. She has significant experience working with family companies, drafting and administering complex estate plans for domestic and multinational high-net-worth individuals and families, and counseling fiduciaries in estate administration.

Furthermore, Dr. Ashford advises European family-owned companies on expanding to the United States.

Typical matters:

• Assisting the personal representative of a US estate in making distributions to German beneficiaries. She advises regarding liability and also prepares German inheritance tax returns.
• Advising foreign beneficiaries of decedents with assets in Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia.
• Advising US persons on planned gifts or legacies to persons living in Europe.
• Advising US persons on tax and estate planning for European assets.

Languages: Dr. Ashford advises clients, conducts correspondence and drafts official documents in English, German and French.

Previously, Dr. Ashford practiced international trusts and estates law at the Washington DC law firm Rubin Winston Diercks Harris & Cooke LLP. During this time she was also a member of the defense team that represented the Federal Republic of Germany in litigation under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act.

Dr. Ashford is a frequent speaker before embassies, bank wealth management departments, bar associations and various international communities both in the US and in Europe.

Caroline has served as a vice-chair of the Individual Retirement Account Committee of the American Bar Association Real Property, Trusts and Estates Section. In the past, she served as the chair of the International Private Client Committee of the American Bar Association Section of International Law.

Contact: ce@internationalestatelaw.com

Phone: +1 202 790-2500

Education:

• JD: Columbia University, New York
• PhD: University of Münster, Germany
• Second State Exam in Law: Düsseldorf Court of Appeals, Germany
• First State Exam in Law: Hamm Court of Appeals, Germany
• Diploma in Law (JD-equivalent): University of Münster, Germany

Admissions:

• District of Columbia
• Virginia
• Maryland
• Germany

Memberships:

• American Bar Association
  • Section of International Law
    • International Private Client Committee, past chair
    • International Tax Committee
  • Real Property, Trusts & Estates Section
    • International Retirement Accounts Committee, current vice-chair
• District of Columbia Bar:
  • Taxation Section
  • Estates, Trusts and Probate Law Section
• Maryland State Bar Association
• Montgomery County Bar Association: Estate and Trust Law Section
• Rechtsanwaltskammer München
• Deutscher Anwaltverein, Arbeitsgemeinschaft Erbrecht
• Deutsche Vereinigung für Erbrecht und Vermögensnachfolge
• Verband der Stipendiaten und Altstipendiaten der Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung
• Deutsch-amerikanische Juristenvereinigung

 Languages:

• German
• English
• French